Airbnb Rental Income in Costa Rica (2026)

The average Airbnb listing in Costa Rica grosses about $1,700 a month. That number shows up in market reports, gets repeated in listing pitches, and sounds like a reasonable return on a $250,000 property. It is also the wrong number to make a decision with.

That $1,700 is a blended national average across 41,500 listings — beach villas, city apartments, mountain cabins, and a lot of properties that barely get booked. It includes high season months where a two-bedroom in Tamarindo pulls $3,500 and green season months where the same unit does $1,200. It does not subtract management fees, platform commissions, taxes, maintenance, insurance, or the months the place sits empty because it is raining and nobody is searching for Costa Rica.

I have operated short-term rentals on the Pacific coast. I have also analyzed deals where the projected rental income was the main justification for the purchase price, and the projections were fiction. This is what the numbers actually look like when you stop averaging and start itemizing.

What Airbnb Properties Actually Earn in Costa Rica

The numbers vary dramatically by location, property type, and how well the operation is run. Here are realistic ranges based on current market data for the areas where most foreign buyers purchase.

In Tamarindo, occupancy averages around 50% annually. High season — December through April — can push a well-managed two-bedroom to $3,500–$6,500 per month. Green season months like September and October often drop to $1,200–$2,300. Nightly rates for a two-bedroom range from $180–$260 in the inland neighborhoods like Villareal, climbing to $380–$650 in gated communities like Hacienda Pinilla. The top-performing hosts hit 60–70% occupancy; the bottom quarter sits below 35%.

Nosara commands a 20–40% premium over Tamarindo on nightly rates due to limited inventory and a more exclusive market positioning. Annual revenue for a median property runs around $44,000, but the entry point on the property itself is higher, so the yield math is not automatically better.

Manuel Antonio, Santa Teresa, and Jacó all cluster in a similar range — $150–$250 per night for a standard two-bedroom, with occupancy that mirrors the national seasonal pattern. The most crowded price segment across all beach towns sits between $150 and $250 per night, which means differentiation matters more than location alone.

San José and the Central Valley tell a different story. Nightly rates are lower — $55–$110 — but occupancy is steadier year-round because demand comes from business travelers, medical tourists, and digital nomads rather than vacationers chasing dry season. A well-positioned apartment in Escazú or Barrio Escalante can maintain 50–60% occupancy across the full year without the seasonal cliff.

The national average daily rate is about $154. Multiply that by 37% occupancy over 30 days and you get $1,710 in gross monthly revenue. That is the source of the $1,700 figure. The problem is that nobody operates at the national average — you operate in a specific town, with a specific property, against specific competition.

Costa Rica Airbnb Seasonality: What a Real Calendar Looks Like

Seasonality is the single most misunderstood factor in Costa Rica rental income projections. Annual averages hide the shape of the year, and the shape is what determines your cash flow, your maintenance schedule, and whether you can actually cover your costs.

High season runs December through April. These five months generate 60–70% of most properties' annual revenue. January and February are typically the strongest booking months, with March close behind. Rates are at their peak, occupancy can hit 70–80% for well-managed properties, and this is when the projection spreadsheets look like genius investments. My property in Santa Teresa runs close to 100% occupancy during high season — December through April is essentially sold out, sometimes booked months in advance. That is the upside of a strong location with a dialed-in listing.

Shoulder months — May, June, and November — are transitional. Occupancy drops to 30–45%, rates come down 15–25% from peak, and bookings require more active management and dynamic pricing to fill gaps. November picks up toward the end as early holiday travelers arrive.

Green season — July through October — is where the projection meets reality. September and October are the slowest months across virtually every beach market. Occupancy can drop below 20% for average listings. Some owners close their properties entirely during these months rather than pay a property manager to service two bookings. July and August get a bump from European summer travelers and Costa Rica's school break, but it is not enough to offset the broader pattern. Even with a well-performing property, green season is a different game. I drop rates significantly — sometimes to levels that look almost absurd compared to high season — because the goal shifts from maximizing revenue to covering fixed costs. Staff still needs to be paid. The pool still needs maintenance. Insurance and utilities do not take a rainy season discount. If you can keep the lights on and the team employed through September and October, you are set up to capture every dollar from November onward. But you have to be willing to accept nightly rates during green season that would make your high-season self wince.

If a seller or agent shows you an income projection based on 65% annual occupancy, ask them to show you September. If they cannot, the projection is not serious.

The Full Expense Stack: Gross to Net on a $300,000 Property

Here is what the numbers look like on a representative two-bedroom property purchased for $300,000 in a Pacific coast beach town, fully furnished and rental-ready. These are realistic mid-range figures, not best-case.

Gross rental income at 50% occupancy and $200 average nightly rate: roughly $36,500 per year. That is a solid performer — above the national median but not in the top tier.

Platform commissions take the first cut. Airbnb's host-only fee is typically 3% of the booking subtotal. On $36,500 gross, that is about $1,095.

Property management is the biggest variable. Full-service management — which includes guest communication, check-in/check-out, cleaning coordination, maintenance oversight, and listing optimization — runs 20–35% of gross revenue depending on the market and the firm. At 25%, that is $9,125. Some managers charge a flat monthly fee plus a percentage; others take a straight percentage. What matters is what they actually do. I have seen managers charge 30% and deliver professional-grade operations, and I have seen others charge 20% and miss half the guest messages.

Cleaning costs are usually billed per turnover, not included in the management fee. Budget $50–$80 per turnover for a two-bedroom. At 50% occupancy with an average stay of 4–5 nights, you are looking at roughly 35–40 turnovers per year: $1,750–$3,200.

The 12.75% tax withholding is the new reality for 2026. Costa Rica is not introducing a new tax — this rate has existed since 2019 under the Real Estate Capital Gains Tax. What is changing is enforcement. Starting in 2026, platforms like Airbnb will withhold 12.75% of gross rental revenue directly from host payouts and remit it to Costa Rica's tax authority. This is 15% on net rental profit with a 15% automatic expense deduction — which works out to 12.75% on gross. On $36,500, that is $4,653. This applies whether or not you have a net profit, because it is calculated on gross revenue.

VAT at 13% applies to short-term accommodations. You are required to collect this from guests and remit it. Airbnb does not currently add Costa Rican VAT automatically — you need to build it into your pricing or absorb it. Either way, it affects your competitive pricing position. On $36,500 in bookings, VAT liability is approximately $4,745 if you are not already charging it on top of your rates.

Utilities run $150–$300 per month depending on AC usage and whether you have a pool. Annual cost: $1,800–$3,600.

Insurance for a furnished rental property typically costs $800–$1,500 per year.

Maintenance and repairs — the line item most owners underbudget. Pool maintenance alone runs $100–$200 per month. General maintenance, landscaping, pest control, and the inevitable appliance replacements add up to $2,000–$4,000 per year on a property that gets regular guest use. Properties in humid coastal environments degrade faster than most North American buyers expect.

Internet, streaming subscriptions, and consumables: $1,200–$2,000 per year.

Property tax: 0.25% of registered value. On a $300,000 property, roughly $750 per year, possibly less if the fiscal value is below market.

Corporation maintenance (if applicable): $300–$500 per year for registered agent, filings, and SUGEF reporting.

Add it all up. On $36,500 gross, total expenses land between $23,000 and $30,000 depending on your management structure, tax situation, and maintenance needs. Net income: roughly $6,500–$13,500 per year. On a $300,000 all-in investment, that is a net yield of 2.2% to 4.5%.

A top-performing property — higher occupancy, better rates, tighter expense control — can push net yield into the 6–8% range. But that requires above-average execution, not average assumptions.

The 12.75% Airbnb Tax: What Changed in 2026

This deserves its own section because it is the single biggest change to Costa Rica's short-term rental economics in the last five years, and most buyers I talk to have not heard about it.

Since 2019, rental income in Costa Rica has been subject to the Real Estate Capital Income Tax — a 15% tax on net rental profit with an automatic 15% expense deduction baked in, producing an effective rate of 12.75% on gross revenue. The tax was always owed. What was missing was enforcement. Most Airbnb hosts were not registered, not filing, and not paying.

Starting in 2026, the Costa Rican government is requiring rental platforms to withhold the 12.75% directly from host payouts before the money reaches you. The tax authority — the Dirección General de Tributación, or DGT — has also rolled out reporting requirements under OECD model rules, meaning Airbnb will report your earnings to Irish tax authorities, who forward them to Costa Rica. The days of quietly collecting rental income without a tax ID are over.

The 12.75% applies to gross revenue, not profit. That means even in months where your expenses exceed your rental income, the platform still withholds. For low-occupancy months, this creates a cash flow pinch that you need to plan for.

To operate legally, you need to register with the ICT (Costa Rican Tourism Institute), obtain a NITE (special tax ID for foreigners) or use your cedula if you are a resident, file monthly tax returns through the ATV platform, and issue electronic invoices to guests. The compliance burden is real, and it is one more reason professional property management has shifted from optional to nearly essential.

Property Management: What 25% Actually Buys You (and a Cheaper Alternative)

Management fees in Costa Rica range from 20% to 35% of gross rental revenue. The percentage alone does not tell you much. What matters is the scope of service and whether the manager is actually protecting your asset and your income.

A good full-service manager handles guest communication, listing optimization, dynamic pricing, check-in and check-out coordination, cleaning quality control, maintenance dispatch, vendor management, monthly reporting, and — increasingly — tax compliance and ICT registration support. They should be reviewing your listing weekly, adjusting pricing based on local demand signals, and responding to guest inquiries within an hour.

A bad manager collects the percentage, answers messages when they get around to it, and calls you when something breaks. The difference between the two shows up directly in your occupancy rate and your review scores, which in turn determine your nightly rate. In a competitive market with 41,500 listings, a 4.6-star property earns measurably less than a 4.9.

There is a third option that I have found works better than either extreme, and it costs a fraction of the standard management fee. I hired someone local — someone I trust — who handles both cleaning and property management for $1,200 a month. That is $14,400 a year, flat. On a property grossing $40,000, that is 36% — comparable to a management company. But on a property grossing $130,000, it is 11%. The economics flip completely at higher revenue levels.

On top of the base, I pay her an additional $300 a month to manage the Airbnb chat, coordinate guest check-in and check-out, and handle day-to-day communication. Total: $1,500 a month, $18,000 a year, all in. She is sharp, reliable, and has learned the operation inside out. I am in the process of transitioning from two full-time hires to one — her — with additional staff brought in per turnover under her supervision. The goal is to get her to $2,000 a month, because she has earned it and because building a strong local team is how you build a sustainable operation.

She is from Nicaragua. She came here with nothing resembling the kind of opportunity that running a short-term rental operation provides. Teaching her dynamic pricing, guest communication, and operational management has not just improved my returns — it has materially changed her economic trajectory. That is not charity. That is what happens when you invest in the people who make your income possible.

This is worth saying directly: if you are going to earn rental income in a Costa Rican community, put money back into that community. Pay fairly. Train people. Do not behave like the kind of foreign investor who extracts every dollar and wonders why the local team does not care about your property. The owners who build loyal, well-compensated local teams get better operations, lower turnover, and fewer problems. It is good business and it is the right thing to do.

Self-managing from abroad without a local person you trust is possible but time-intensive. You need a reliable cleaning team, a handyman on call, and the ability to respond to guest issues at any hour in any time zone. One unit rarely justifies the time investment of self-managing from another country. Three or more units start to make the DIY model viable if you build a local team.

One operational detail most buyers miss: Airbnb accounts are not transferable. When you buy a property that was operating as a successful rental, you do not inherit the listing, the reviews, or the Superhost status. You start from zero. The previous owner's track record evaporates at closing. Factor that ramp-up period — typically 3–6 months to build review momentum — into your first-year income projections.

HOA Restrictions: The Deal Killer Nobody Mentions

If you are buying a condo or a unit in a development with a homeowners association, check the HOA bylaws before you model rental income. This is not optional due diligence — it is the difference between a rental property and a property you cannot rent.

HOAs in Tamarindo, Jacó, Escazú, and other popular areas can and do ban short-term rentals, restrict minimum stay lengths, limit the number of rental days per year, or impose additional fees on owners who operate STRs. National law permits short-term rentals, but HOA bylaws are private contracts, and they can override your plans entirely.

I have seen buyers close on a condo specifically because of the projected Airbnb income, only to discover the HOA had voted to ban rentals under 30 days six months before the purchase. The seller did not mention it. The agent did not flag it. The buyer did not ask. That condo became a personal vacation unit with zero income potential — and a purchase price that had been justified entirely by rental projections.

Ask for the HOA minutes from the last two years. Read the bylaws yourself, not just the seller's summary. If the HOA permits short-term rentals today, understand the vote threshold required to change that rule, because it can change after you buy.

What Net Yield Actually Looks Like Across Costa Rica

Net yields on Airbnb properties in Costa Rica typically fall between 4% and 8% for well-managed properties after all expenses. That range is broad because the variables are broad — location, property type, management quality, occupancy execution, and how honestly you account for maintenance and vacancy.

To make this concrete: I have a rental in Santa Teresa that I built a few years ago for roughly $900,000 all in — land, construction, furnishing, landscaping, pool, the full build. It grosses $130,000–$150,000 a year. That is gross revenue before management, taxes, maintenance, insurance, and all the other line items I listed above. The net number is significantly lower, but the gross-to-investment ratio — 14–17% gross yield — reflects what a well-located, well-built property can do in a strong market with good operations.

That is not the norm. That is what happens when you build specifically for the rental market in a location with strong demand and limited supply, and you run tight operations. Properties sitting directly on the beach in Santa Teresa — the true walk-out-your-door-to-the-sand locations — can gross twice that or more, because beachfront commands a rate premium that compounds across every booked night. A $400 nightly rate at 55% occupancy produces a fundamentally different annual number than $200 at the same occupancy. Location is not just a cliché in this market. It is the single largest variable in the equation.

At the lower end of the yield spectrum, you have properties in saturated markets with high management fees, average occupancy, and full tax compliance. A two-bedroom in Tamarindo generating $36,500 gross at 50% occupancy might net $10,000–$13,000 after expenses on a $300,000 total investment. That is a 3.3–4.3% cash-on-cash return. Not bad for a property that also appreciates and that you can use yourself, but it is not the 10–12% that some listing pitches suggest.

Compare that to a diversified index fund returning 7–10% annually with no management burden, no maintenance, and no September. The real estate return looks better when you add appreciation — Costa Rica Pacific coast properties have seen 3–8% annual appreciation in recent years — but appreciation is not income, and it is not guaranteed.

The honest case for Airbnb in Costa Rica is a combined return of cash yield plus appreciation plus personal use value. Any single one of those pillars, taken alone, rarely justifies the purchase price. Together, they can make a compelling case — if the numbers are real.

How Much Can You Make on Airbnb in Costa Rica?

It depends on where you buy, what you buy, and how well you operate it. A two-bedroom in a Pacific coast beach town, purchased for $250,000–$350,000 and managed professionally, will realistically gross $30,000–$45,000 per year at 45–55% occupancy. After management, taxes, platform fees, maintenance, and insurance, net income lands between $8,000 and $18,000. Net yield: 3–6%.

Top-performing properties — better location, higher rates, tighter operations — can push gross revenue above $50,000 and net yield into the 6–8% range. These are the exception, not the baseline.

Properties in the Central Valley or inland towns generate lower gross revenue but often produce better net yields on a lower purchase price, with more stable year-round occupancy.

Do I Need to Pay Taxes on Airbnb Income in Costa Rica?

Yes, and the enforcement mechanism changed in 2026. Short-term rental income is subject to a 12.75% withholding on gross revenue, collected directly by platforms. You are also required to charge and remit 13% VAT on accommodations. Both obligations require registration with Costa Rica's tax authority, a tax ID (NITE for non-residents), monthly filings through the ATV platform, and electronic invoicing. Non-compliance can result in fines, back-tax assessments, and platform reporting to tax authorities.

If you are a U.S. taxpayer, Costa Rica rental income is also reportable on your U.S. return, though taxes paid in Costa Rica may be creditable against your U.S. obligation — particularly if you hold the property through an SRL. Consult your own tax professional on both sides.

Is Airbnb Legal in Costa Rica?

Yes. Short-term rentals are legal and regulated under Law 9742 and Decreto 43154-H-TUR, which established the framework for "hospedaje no tradicional" — non-traditional lodging. There are no nationwide night caps or 90-day limits like in some European cities. You can rent year-round.

The main compliance requirements are registration with the ICT (tourism institute), tax registration with the DGT, electronic invoicing, and maintaining the property to baseline tourism service standards. Enforcement has historically focused on bringing hosts into compliance rather than aggressive prosecution, but the direction is clearly toward tighter oversight.

The real legal risk is at the HOA level, not the national level. National law permits short-term rentals. Your condo association's bylaws may not.

What Occupancy Rate Should I Expect?

National average occupancy across all Costa Rica Airbnb listings is approximately 37%. Beach town properties typically range from 30–55%, with heavy seasonal variation. Central Valley properties maintain steadier occupancy in the 40–60% range.

Top-performing hosts in established beach markets achieve 60–70% occupancy through professional photos, dynamic pricing, fast response times, and strong review profiles. Bottom-quarter listings sit below 35%, usually due to poor photos, static pricing, or inconsistent guest experience.

If you are modeling a purchase, use 45–50% as your base case for a well-managed beach property and run a stress test at 35%. If the deal does not work at 35% occupancy, the margin for error is too thin.

How Does Property Management Work for Costa Rica Airbnbs?

Full-service property management in Costa Rica runs 20–35% of gross rental revenue. This should cover guest communication, cleaning coordination, maintenance oversight, listing management, and monthly financial reporting. Increasingly, it also includes tax compliance support — ICT registration, electronic invoicing, and monthly filing.

Choose a manager with a track record in your specific market, not just someone with a website. Ask for the average occupancy and nightly rate of properties they manage. Ask to speak with current clients. And clarify in writing what is and is not included in their percentage — especially cleaning fees, maintenance dispatch fees, and any minimum monthly charges during low season.

The Bottom Line on Airbnb Income in Costa Rica

Short-term rental income in Costa Rica is real, but it is not passive and it is not the number on the projection sheet. The honest return — after management, taxes, maintenance, platform fees, and the months the calendar is empty — lands most properties in the 3–6% net yield range, with strong operators reaching 6–8%.

That can be a good investment when combined with property appreciation and personal use. It is not a good investment when the purchase price was justified by a spreadsheet that assumed 65% occupancy, ignored the 12.75% tax, and budgeted $500 a year for maintenance on a house in a tropical climate.

Run the numbers with real expenses, not hopeful ones. And if September does not appear on the projection, ask why.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Caldwell

James is a real estate investor on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica with a background in commercial real estate in Canada. He covers the Costa Rica property market for Build Tropical with an analytical, skeptical eye — focusing on what the numbers actually say, not what the listing pitch promises.